Filming Locations:

Company:

Did You Know?

Trivia:

The events in the film take place circa 1506 based on two clues offered early on. Dr. Craven states that his father has been dead 20 years, and when they show the plate on the coffin the date of death is given as 1486. Therefore, 1486 + 20 = 1506.See more »

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of milk in Dr. Craven's glass increases from one shot to another.See more »

Quotes:

Dr. Craven:Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, / Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. / While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, / As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door./ "'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door. / Only this and nothing more."See more »

Roger Corman's "The Raven" is the best of the Poe films and the most
entertaining. It owes even less to Poe than some of the other adaptations,
but I can't recall laughing so much in a horror film. That it was intended
as a followup to the wildly successful "Tales of Terror" only added to the
good vibes. The historic teaming of three horror stars Vincent Price, Boris
Karloff and Peter Lorre makes this irresistible.

Price plays one of his rare good guy roles as Craven, a good warlock living
in his castle in England (where else?). Lorre is Bedlo, a coward who was
turned into a raven by the evil sorcerer Scarabus (Karloff). Craven changes
him back and Bedlo tells the good warlock/magician that his thought to be
dead wife is shacking up with Scarabus. This sets up the final 20 minutes of
the film, a hilarious showdown between Craven and Scarabus involving lasers
and cheesy red arrows that only make the viewer laugh even more than he/she
was doing before.

The great castle designed by Daniel Haller was reused famously in "The
Terror" shot two days after this wrapped by Corman. Unless you're a film
buff, you probably won't notice, but it adds a comic touch to an already
hilarious film. The best comic moments belong to Lorre and Jack Nicholson
(as Lorre's son). These two are nuts! Floyd Crosby's photography (in
Panavision and Pathecolor) is solid as usual (although the castle isn't;
he,he) and Richard Matheson's script (with bits added by Price, Karloff,
Lorre and Nicholson) is one of the best comedy scripts ever written. Why
wasn't "The Raven" on the AFI Top 100 Comedies List? It's as good as
anything in the Top 10 (better than the second ranked Tootsie, that's for
sure). The probable answer: they don't know great comedy even if it bit them
in the butt.

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